Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket (Lienke’s Lovey)

This Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket was designed and made for my little niece, Lienke, who has finally arrived in all her wrinkly awesomeness and hairy cuteness.

I wanted a blanket that was a little bit more complicated than just single crochets, but wouldn’t take me months (or even weeks) to finish. By using 3 strands of double knit yarn at the same time, this blanket grows very quickly.

I have used (abused) the Attic24 Yarn Pack, which I bought a while ago, to make this particular version. Right at the bottom of the post you will find instructions for making an exact replica, but you can use any yarn you fancy. The yarn and hook suggested below will give you a blanket that is roughly 80 cm wide by 90 cm long (31.5″ x 25.5″).

You do not have to go cheerful and chunky as I have gone. By using a smaller hook and thinner yarn (or less strands of yarn) and increasing the amount of repeats per row, you can make a more dainty version.

Yarn Needle (This is optional. I suggest that you crochet OVER your tails of yarn, but if you don’t like crocheting over your tails of yarn, you are more than welcome to work them away with a yarn needle.)

* – Repeat all instructions in parentheses the amount of times stipulated.*Dc x 9, {Cable 2}* x 4, for example, will mean: Dc x 9, work a cable (as in the instructions for making a {Cable 2}, dc x 9, work a cable, dc x 9, work a cable, dc x 9, work a cable.

Speciality Stitches

{Cable 2} – Dc2tog. Skip the next st. Bptr in the next 2 st’s. Now go back to the st below the last st of the dc2tog and bptr around that st. Bptr around the next st, which doesn’t contain a st yet. You will need to twist your work quite a bit to be able to do this. Now dc2tog, starting in the st at the top of the last bptr.

{Cable 3} – Dc2tog. Fptr in the next 4 st’s, working around the posts of the bptr’s from the previous row. Dc2tog, starting in the st at the top of the last bptr.

{Cable 4} – Dc2tog. Skip the next fptr. Bptr in the next 2 st’s. Now go back to the fptr below the last st of the dc2tog and bptr around that st. Bptr around the next fptr, which doesn’t contain a st yet. Dc2tog, starting in the st at the top of the last fptr.

Popcorn Stitch: 4 x dc’s in the same st. Drop the loop from your hook. Insert your hook into the first of the 4 dc’s and pull the dropped loop through the stitch.

Basic Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket Pattern

Suitable for Advanced Beginners

The cable and bobble pattern repeats every 15 st’s, so if you want to make a bigger blanket, just start with multiples of 15 stitches and take away 1 stitch. For example: for 10 repeats: 10 x 15 – 1 = 149. Please note: In the video I say multiples of 15 and add 14. It’s the same thing.

Video Tutorial

Update 06/2015: The video tutorial has now been removed and a new one will be uploaded as soon as a better one can be produced.

Make a dc in each of the first 4 st’s, starting in the st at the base of the initial ch-2. {Cable 2 – as in the instructions above}. *Dc x 9, {Cable 2}* x 4. Dc x 4. Ch 2 and turn. (74)

Make a dc in each of the first 4 st’s, starting in the st at the base of the initial ch-2. {Cable 3}. *Make a dc in each of the next 4 st’s. Make a Popcorn stitch in the next stitch. Dc in the next 4 st’s. {Cable 3}* x 4. Dc in the last 4 st’s. Ch 2 and turn.

Dc in the first 4 st’s, starting in the st at the base of the initial ch-2. {Cable 4}. *Dc in the next 9 st’s. {Cable 4}* x 4. Dc in the last 4 st’s. Ch 2 and turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until your blanket is as long as you want it to be. 52 Rows should be plenty.

At the bottom of this post you will find instructions for binding your blanket with a row of single crochet.

Rainbow Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket

To make my Rainbow version of the Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket, you will need to buy yourself some Stylecraft Special DK Yarn (15 balls to be exact), but don’t worry, this yarn is incredibly affordable.

Let’s talk about the yarn first, because it’s the most important part of the Rainbow Blanket.

Attic 24 Yarn Pack

Stylecraft Special DK Yarn

Yarn specifications

100% Acrylic

295 m/322 yards per 100 g ball

Machine washable at 40

Cool tumble dry, cool iron

Knitting needles: UK 8/US 6/4 mm

Most of you will have heard of Lucy from Attic24. And even if you haven’t heard of her, you’ll have seen one of her blankets on the internet…you just might not realize it.

Lucy has some gorgeous blanket patterns. My favourites are her Ripple Blanket and her Granny Stripe Blanket. Her colour work is amazing, so it’s no wonder that you can now buy the “Attic 24 Yarn Pack”, inspired by her Granny Stripe Blanket, from quite a few yarn retailers.

This post contains a list of all the colours in the Yarn Pack (17 in total), as well as Lucy’s personal experience working with Stylecraft Special DK.

Now, you don’t HAVE to make this blanket with Stylecraft. If you can’t get your hands on any, you can use the colour chart below to buy colours that are similar to the ones I have used. But if you CAN get your hands on an Attic 24 Yarn Pack, I suggest you do. Unpacking those 17 balls is a feast for your eyes and I can bet you that you will be inspired to make so many pretty things that you won’t know where to start.

Additional Help

Tails of yarn

I suggest that you crochet OVER your tails of yarn as you go. It saves a lot or working away (sewing) at the end. You can find a video tutorial for working over your yarn ends here.

Changing colours

Change colour on the last yarn over of the last stitch of the relevant row.

Making the Rainbow Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket

To make the Rainbow Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket, you will follow the pattern for the Basic Version, but you will start with 3 strands of yarn, each in a different colour (as specified in the colour chart below). You will work the first 4 rows in these 3 colours. This is your first 4-row strip.

At the end of the fourth row, you will cut one of the colours (Plum in this case) and add in the next colour (Clematis in this case). You will then work the next 4 rows. At the end of that 4-row strip you will again cut one colour and add in the next colour (following the colour chart below).

You will continue in this way until you have made 13 x 4-row strips.

Adding and taking away one colour at a time like this gives the blanket a variegated rainbow feel which I am crazy about.

Important Notes

I did not use the Lipstick and Lavender yarn from the Attic 24 pack. This was not by choice. They got lost in the move.

The blanket eats approximately 900 g (2 lb) of yarn. That is roughly 2.6 km (1.6 miles) of yarn. Yikes!

Each 4-row strip takes about 23 g of each colour (70 m/76 yards) and I didn’t use more than one ball of any one colour. In fact, you should have enough left to make a Crochet Ten Stitch Blanket with.

Before you start you will need to wind 25 g (just to be on the safe side) of Saffron, Spring Green and Meadow into separate little balls, because you will need to use 2 strands of the Saffron and Spring Green at the same time in the 7th and 8th 4-row strips respectively and 2 strands of Meadow for the binding.

Occasionally you will need to cut 2 colours at the end of a 4-row strip and add 2 new ones.

Click on the image below to open the pdf version of the colour chart.

Binding the Cable and Bobble Stitch Blanket

Everyone has a different way of finishing off their blankets. Sometimes you don’t want to add a binding at all! But for this blanket I suggest that you at least add one round of single crochet all the way around the blanket, because the first row will pull up slightly at the beginning of each cable column.

You are, of course, more than welcome to add any kind of binding prettiness you want.

To bind your blanket, start with 2 strands of Meadow and 1 strand of Spring Green. With a slip knot already on your hook and the right side of the blanket facing you:

Sc in each st of the last row of the blanket. In the last st of the last row (the corner stitch): sc, ch 2, sc. Turn your blanket through 90 degrees and continue working around, this time making 2 sc’s in the end of each row down. Turn your blanket through 90 degrees and (sc, ch 2, sc) into the first available st of the foundation double crochet row. Make a sc into each st of the first row. When you get to the last stitch, (sc, ch 2, sc) into it. Turn your work through 90 degrees again and make 2 sc’s into each row up the side of the blanket. Finally sc into the stitch that contains the first sc of your binding round. Then join to the top of the first sc with a sl st and bind off.

Work away your tails of yarn.

You can find an excellent tutorial for binding a blanket here. It is by Crochet Happy and is chock-full of photos. Just remember that your blanket is made up of double crochet stitches, so you will need to make 2 sc’s into each row, not one as she does.

I hope this tutorial is clear enough. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave me a comment.

Other than that, have fun!

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Your blanket is amazing. I am not a very good crocheter.
Could your rainbow color scheme work for the granny stripe design?
I have tried unsuccessfully to grasp the idea of backpost or frontpost stitches, but cannot understand the cable stitch.

Hi Bonnie. I am sure that the colour scheme will work for any type of blanket worked in rows. I am sorry to hear that you cannot get to grips with post stitches. Have you tried looking at some video tutorials on youtube?

I am officially in Love with this blanket now…so many loves and not nearly enough time to make them all!
You did a FANTASTIC job with this Tutorial! I’ve totally Pinned, Posted, Shared and Scooped it everywhere :D

Thanks so much for the Link-back to my Tutorial for binding the edges! I’ve actually got the photos and everything to make another one for Double Crochet…had plans to post it later that same week but Life just kinda ‘blew up’ before I could get it done! Sheesh!

This is wonderful! I love Attic 24 yarn colors, and the way you used three colors for each row, then dropped on is brilliant. Love the cables and bobbles, too. All in all a wonderful afghan/blanket. Thanks for sharing!
Rae

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